Tools and Materials
2 Martha Stewart Everyday stools
1 sheet of plywood, 72 inches long, 24 inches wide, 3/4 inch thick
Rubber bumpers
Tatami mat
2 table skirts
6 pieces of bamboo, 1 1/2 inch in diameter (one piece, 6 feet, 2 inches; two pieces, 2 feet; three pieces, 6 feet, 5 inches)
Raffia
Staple gun and staples
Matte knife
Drill
Finishing hammer
1/16-inch drill bit and 7/32-inch drill bit
Seven 1 1/2-inch finishing nails
Two 1-inch wood screws
Zip ties
Bamboo Tiki Bar How-To
1. Put 4 rubber bumpers on top of each stool. Place them at the very front and back of the stools to keep the bar top from rocking.
2. Staple tatami mat to the plywood. Line a bound edge along the front of the plywood. Staple evenly, across the grain of the mat. Staple the mat evenly along one edge of the plywood. Staple along the other edge, pulling the mat gently so that it is smooth. Wrap the excess over the side. Push the mat gently toward the front as you cut the excess mat with a matte knife, using a sawing motion. Staple the back edge down.
3. Lay plywood on top of stools, tatami mat facing up. Make sure outer feet of the stools are in line with the outer edges of the top.
4. Staple the grass skirts to the edge of the plywood. Begin at the back corner, and wrap the skirt smoothly around the sides and front. Staple the first skirt along the lower edge of the plywood. Beginning at the other back corner, staple the second grass skirt above the first. This double layer will make the skirting full.
5. Using the 1/16-inch drill bit, drill 3 holes in the 6-foot, 2-inch piece of bamboo, drilling into the joints of the bamboo, which will not split. Make 2 holes in the joints of both 2-foot pieces. Lightly tap finishing nails into these holes. Holding the long piece of bamboo against the front edge of the plywood top, hammer the nails into the plywood. Do the same with the short pieces along the sides of the plywood top.
6. Stand 2 of the 6-foot, 5-inch bamboo poles against the back of the table. Mark the height of the tabletop on the poles. Using the 7/32-inch drill bit, make one hole 3/8 inch below the top of the table. Screw the poles to the back of the tabletop, rounded side facing front, 2 inches from the edge of the table. Place the last piece of bamboo horizontally behind the 2 vertical poles, about 6 feet from the floor. Wrap a zip tie diagonally around each intersection and pull tight. Weave raffia around both joints to hide the zip tie. To keep the structure from tipping over, secure the bottom of the vertical poles to the legs of the stools with zip ties.
Resources
Martha Stewart Everyday stools are available at Kmart. Plywood is available at lumber yards. Rubber bumpers are carried at office supply stores. Tatami mat is from Jamali Garden. Table skirts are available from Party City and Oriental Trading.
